Sunday, July 14, 2013

Offensive Children's Rhymes: " I Went To A Chinese Restaurant"

Edited by Azizi Powell

September 8, 2020; Title change from the previous title "Anti-Asian Rhymes ..."

Latest Update: March 17, 2021

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This pancocojams post present my comments about the children's rhyme "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant". As indicated in this post's title, I consider a number of examples of that rhyme to be anti-Asian.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those whose examples or comments are included in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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WARNING & DISCLAIMER: This post includes racially pejorative referents for folkloric, sociological, and educational purposes. I don't condone the use of such references for other purposes.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
September 8, 2020:
I changed the title of this pancocojams post because the examples I've focused on aren't necessarily "anti-Asian". However, the use of gestures such as pulling the eyes to mimic "Chinese eyes" is offensive, whether or not it's intentional meant to be.

Furthermore, as is mentioned in some of the comments in this post's discussion thread, whether or not a person does that "squinty" eye" gesture, when they list ethnicities ("Chinese", "Japanese", "Indian") and also "Indian chief" can also be offensive.  Think about it- Except for "Gypsies" (which is also offensive), and "Spanish" (as in the rhyme "Spanish Dancer") and the Dutch (in the rhyme "I'm a Little Dutch girl"), and some rhymes that include offensive Jewish references, I can't think of any children's hand clap or jump rope rhymes that mention European ethnicities/nationalities by their group name.

There's a lot to unpack here so I'll end this comment and refer readers to this  2018 article by Cary Chow entitled "Just stop with the slanted-eye racist gestures"  https://theundefeated.com/features/just-stop-with-the-slanted-eye-racist-gestures-2018-fifa-world-cup/.

[These editor's notes were written in 2013 and were slightly revised on December 13, 2019.]

In 2009 I conducted an informal, unscientific review of pejorative, ridiculing, and/or mocking racial references or gestures in English language playground rhymes that were posted to facebook pages or other websites.*

Those Facebook pages in particular and some of the other websites served as a place where people could share their childhood memories of hand clap games, and other childhood singing games. Some of these websites/Facebook pages included demographic information which identified those contributing these examples as being from the United States, Great Britain, or Australia. I later published material that I collected from that informal review on a page of cocojams.com, my cultural website that disappeared for some reason around Oct. 2014. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to retrieve that rhyme research page.

However, I recall that those rhyme examples included what is now commonly known as "the n word". And I remember that the overwhelming majority of the rhymes contained racially offensive references to Chinese and/or Japanese people and/or stereotypical gestures that were and still are associated with Asian people. Some of the rhymes that I'm referring to were from African Americans.

Notice that a link given below to another pancocojams post includes a video of two young Black women who preface their performance of several hand clap rhymes by saying that they remember reciting "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant" during their childhood.** Also, there are people with Black/Asian (or Asian/Black) descent in the United States and elsewhere. Therefore, this topic is quite suitable for a blog about Black culture & customs in the United States & throughout the world.

Those examples of playground rhymes consisted & still consist of rhymes whose lyrics and/or whose accompanying gestures intentionally or unintentionally mocked, ridiculed, "imitated" the sound of the Chinese language and included racist references to Chinese people such as "Ching Chong". Some of those rhymes also described Chinese people doing demeaning actions (such as peeing outside) and/or ridiculed the physical appearance of Chinese people or Japanese people and by extension, other people of East Asian descent. To be clear, although I conducted that review in 2009, these types of playground rhymes still are chanted today (2013) , with seemingly little to no recognition that there is anything wrong with them.

Two titles (first lines) of these rhyme are "Me Chinese Me Tell Joke", and "Ching Ching Chinaman" (sittin on a fence)*** However, versions of "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant" (much less often given as "I Went To A Chinese Bakery") were the most frequently given examples of anti-Asian playground rhymes.

Like many other playground rhymes, "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant" may include floating verses from one or more stand alone (independent) playground rhymes. And many of these versions and their accompanying performance activity aren't at all offensive- unless you consider the hand clap partners' attempts to tap or poke each other on the forehead or stomach during the rhyme and/or at the end of that rhyme to be problematic.

*I haven't attempted to find the Facebook pages and other websites that I included in that review of racism in online playground rhymes. Besides the fact that this was an informal review to satisfy my curiosity on the subject, I found out months after conducting that review that it was very difficult to re-locate the Facebook material which was a large part of that review. That said, it seems to me that this topic would be an interesting subject for formal study. I hope that such studies would be conducted & shared online.

-snip-

**
Two young African American women demonstrate "old school" hand games, including "I Went To A Chinese Reataurant":
Fun hand games
fatcat123455, Dec 24, 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0KMFSj-FrQ&t=23s


***Click this pancocojams post for examples & commentary about this "Ching Ching China Sitting On A Fence/Tryin To Make A Dollar Out Of 15 cents" family of rhymes http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/07/examples-of-anti-asian-references-in.html.

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VIDEOS AND TEXT EXAMPLES
Here's a video of a non-racist example of "I Went To The Chinese Restaurant" which happens to feature two Chinese girls.
[Video examples of this rhyme are labeled as Example #1, #2, and #3]

Example #1: I Went to a Chinese Restaurant Hand Game



Ann Leung, Uploaded on Aug 4, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9DkHKhODcY

One of my girls' favorite hand games.
-snip-
Here's my transcription of the rhyme that those girls recited:

I went to a Chinese restaraunt
To buy a loaf of bread bread bread
And when they asked what my name was
This is what she I said said said
My name is
E i E i nicka lie nickali
Pom pom ???
Willy willy whiskers
My name is
Elvis Presley
Boys are messy*
Sittin in a hot tub
Eatin lots of Pepsi
My name is poke!
-snip-
*This is often given as "boys are sexy", which is an earlier version of that phrase. That said, I've seen other examples of "boys are messy". That version may have been given because the word "sexy" might be considered to risque. Also, "eatin lots of Pepsi" is probably a folk etymology form of "drinkin lots of Pepsi" which is how that phrase is almost always given.

The words to several other non-offensive and offensive examples of this rhyme are given in that video's viewer comment thread.

Another non-offensive example is:

my version is:
I went to a Chinese restaurant
to by a loaf of bread bread bread
I rapped it up in a ten pound note and this what I sayed x3
my name is Andy pandi sugery candy
rolli polli chocolate chip
I can do the can can
I can do the splits and the hoolahoops
just like this
bow to the king
curtse to the qween
show your knickers to the football team
-erynfraser2001, 2013o

[Note: I've reformatted examples in this post in poetry line formation and I've made no typo or spelling corrections.]

That same video's viewer comment thread contains this example which contains some clearly racially offensive words:

Our version is:
I went to a chinese restaurant
to buy a loaf f bread bread bread this lady asked me whats my names and this is what i said.
I said a ching chong chati
I can do karate unch u in yo body
oops im sorry chinese japanese dirty knees
look at these.
criss cross apple sauce.
do me a favor and get lost
-paris porter, 2013·
-snip-
The phrase "ching chong chati" is probably a folk etymology form of "Ching Chong Charlie", "ching chong" being a way of ridiculing the way that the Chinese language sounds. I believe that the reference to the martial art of karate (which orginated in Japan) is given after the reference to Chinese is an example of conflating these two Asian nations. Furthermore, I believe that the phrase "dirty knees" following the referent "Japanese" refers to the stereotype that most Japanese are "bow legged".

It's important to consider that the words to examples of "I Went To The Chinese Restaurant" may appear to be non-offensive, but those words might be accompanied by the gesture of holding the skin at the ends of both eyes to mimic a squinting look. And while there should be no question that gesture is offensive, it clearly is something that children have to be made aware of, even if they don't intend to be hurtful or otherwise cause offense.

Here are two videos of "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant" that include the squinty eye gesture:

Example #2: Maci and Taylor went to a chinese restaurant



martellonis, Uploaded on Nov 8, 2009
-snip-
Comments were disabled for this video.
What I call "the squinty eye" gesture is at .037-.038.

It's my position that including dramatic miming (imitative actions with spoken words) along with handclap movements explains why children consider this rhyme fun to do. Also, read my comment under Example #3 about another possible reason why these rhymes may be popular.

Here's my transcription of that version of this rhyme:
I went to Chinese restarount
To buy a loaf of bread bread bread
They asked what my name was
This is what I said said said
My name is
E i E I nicka nye nicka nye
Pom pom poodle *
Willy willy whiskers
My name is
Elvis Presley
Boys are messy*
Sittin in a hot tub
Drinkin lots of Pepsi
My name is
Chinese, Japanese
Punch you in the stomach.
Oops, I'm sorry.
I'm calling mommy.
Mommy's mad.
I am sad.
My name is
Roooast
Beef!
-snip-
The squinty eye gesture occurs in this video around .039. In my opinio, the "punch you in the stomach" line & mime obliquely refers to Asian martial arts of "karate" which originated in Japan and is an example of conflating the East Asian nations/people of China & Japan.

Notice the opportunity for dramatic (mime) play that this rhyme presents. I think it's a shame that it contains a gesture with such a racist past & present.

*This line is usually given as "pom pom cutie". I think that phrase refers to female cheerleaders.

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Example #3:
I went to a chinese restaurant. (: Kendall and Jenna



kenndall33, Uploaded on Nov 7, 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQN7GFM2m9U

Jenna and I were bored so we decided to make this handshake. My little 8 year old brother taught us this. No haters, please? (:
-snip-
The "Chinese Japanese" portion is found at .026 and .027

Here's my transcription of that rhyme:

I went to a Chinese Restaurant
to buy a loaf of bread bread bread
He asked me what my name is
And this is what I said said said
My name is
L i L i
Pickoli pickoli
Pom pom cutie
Extra cutie
Don’t drink whiskey
It’s too risky
Chinese
Japanese
Dirty knees
Look at these.
-snip-
"Look at these" refers to the girls sticking out their chest to show their breasts. In my opinion, that mildly risque action, or the opportunity to show off your knickers (your panties) in some versions of "I Went To The Chinese Restaurant", and the opportunity in some of these examples to hit, punch, tap, or poke your partner explain the popularity of these rhymes.

A number of the examples of this rhyme that are posted in that video's viewer comment thread contain offensive words, although the intent probably wasn't to be offensive. Here's another example of this rhyme that includes offensive words:
I went to a Chinese restaurant
to buy a loaf of bread bread bread
the waitress took my order and this is what she said
my name is Ching Chung Charlie
punch you in the body
oops I'm sorry
better call your mommy
Chinese Japanese
Japanese Chinese
oo Ching Chung Ching
-Lexi Gomez, 2013

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Another example of that squinting eye gesture can be found at of a video which I showcased on this pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/various-playground-rhymes-performed-by.html "Ten Playground Rhymes Performed By Two African American Women"

[The "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant" rhyme begins at 3:36. The Chinese Japanese gestures are found at 3:53-3:54.]

That post includes excerpts from that video's viewer comment thread including a comment chiding the poster about including the squinty eye gesture, the poster's response that she was just presenting how that rhyme was done "before she knew that gesture was offensive". I also included a comment about that subject which I posted on to that video's viewer commeent thread.

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ADDENDUM
In some examples of "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant" the Chinese and Japanese referents are followed by "Indian chief". My sense is "Indian chief" is a referent to American Indians and not South Asian Indians. It's my position that the phrase "Indian chief" is also problematic since only the leaders of Indians and Africans are referred to as "chiefs". Other ethnic groups have kings, emperors, and leaders. Think about it.
Isn't that dismmissive of those populations to only refer to their leaders as "chiefs"?

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RELATED LINK
From http://imaginationsoup.net/2011/01/innocent-hand-clapping-racist-song/
This post includes a number of readers' comments, including one that I wrote. The post is a mother's response to her daughter's recitation of "I Went To The Chinese Restaurant" and the daughter's concern about that version of that rhyme's accompanying eye stretching gesture.

This leads me to ask "Is the Chinese mother who posted the first video to this post and wrote that "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant" is her daughters favorite hand game unaware that some examples of this rhyme include that squinting eyes gesture? If she is aware of it, shouldn’t she warn her daughters that that gesture is often done with this rhyme & some examples of that rhyme include offensive language? And shouldn't other adults let children know that these forms of that rhyme are unacceptable & why?"

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Visitor comments are welcome.

29 comments:

  1. Here's the central message of this post:

    Unfortunately, some adults don't "get" that it's racist to label any Black male wearing a hoody as a thug. And posssibly even more adults don't realize that it's racially offensive & it's emotionally hurtful to say things like "Ching Chong" and to pull your eyes in a squinty gesture that is suppose to imitate or represent Chinese people and by extension, other East Asian people.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just came across these two comments in this YouTube video discussion thread about the rhyme "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvuGApvNF58 "Cool Hand Games"

    jj nb1 year ago [2013]
    "girls i dont mean to be rude but please make another video of chinese restraunt and this is how you can do it its kinda racist. when i went to a chinese restraunt to buy a loaf of bread dont say chinese japanese indian freeze just say freeze after cause im chinese thx."

    **
    Ione Koenig [2013]
    "i agree with u too cuz i am japaneese and it hurts and it is not nice "

    ReplyDelete
  3. I remember playing this clapping game at our elementary school. Our version was:
    I went to a chinese restaurant to buy a loaf of bread bread bread, the waitor asked me whats my name and this is what I said said said, ching chong charlie, i know karate, punch you in the body, oops Im not sorry, Chinese Japanese dirty knees look at these, criss cross apple sauce do me a favor get lost, while your at it drop dead, in the morning got no head.
    I woke up reciting it for some reason out of the blue, after decades of not hearing it. Funny how the brain works. As i woke up repeating it in my head I started to wonder how no adults, nobody ever questioned or told us the words were so creepy and offensive. I see there are "nicer" versions of it. Our version was weird and just seems all wrong for 6-9 yr olds to be reciting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello, Eli.

      Thanks for sharing your version of "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant."

      I'd never heard that ending before. For the folkloric record I'd love to know where (what city/state) and when (what decade) you remember it from.

      And I agree with you that children shouldn't be reciting those words.
      As I indicate in this post, the "Chinese, Japanese" words in this rhyme reflect the negative attitudes toward Asians that is deeply rooted in the United States. And -it seems to me- that part of the appeal of the "I know karate/punch you in the body" and the "Do me a favor/get lost" etc. ending is that those words allow kids to test the limits of bravado and being risque with very little consequences- partly if adults don't hear these words or if adults just dismiss them as "just kids playing".

      Hopefully, nowadays, if adults hear children reciting these words, they can explain to children why they aren't acceptable.

      Delete
  4. from the akron, ohio area in the early 1990's.

    I just asked a friend about a hand clapping rhyme, where all I remembered was "hot fudge sundae," which is the same rhyme discussed here. I don't think we did the first part of it, but this is what she told me:

    I went to the Chinese bakery
    To buy a loaf of bread, bread, bread
    They asked me what I wanted
    And this is what I said, said, said


    My name is
    Kay Lie Pickle-eye
    Pickle-eye Kay Lie
    Hot fudge Sunday
    Covered in cherries
    Chinese chopstick
    Chow! (I think we just did a double hand clap here)


    I learned, separately, the "dirty knees," rhyme. at "look at these," we would tuck our knees up into our shirts, to look like huge breasts.


    there was another rhyme, similar to the dirty knees rhyme, that I learned as well. it makes fun of children with a parent who is Chinese and a parent who is Japanese, and ends with "and i'm a mixed up child---" complete with the squinting of the eyes. We had two Asian-American children at my school who had been adopted, and we had some kind of exchange student from China in the 3rd grade -- and somehow it never occurred to any of us (or teachers?!) that it was offensive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing those examples and comments, anonymous.

      Hopefully, nowaways we are more enlightened and aware about the subtle and not so subtle immediate and long term impact these kinds of rhymes have on Asian children as well as on non-Asian children who chant them or hear them.

      Delete
  5. This is the version I learned when I was younger, from Oklahoma City, around 2010:

    "I went to a Chinese restaurant
    To buy a loaf of bread bread bread
    They asked me what my name was
    And this is what I said said said:

    I know karate (put hands in fists)
    Punch you in the potty (mimic punch to the groin)
    I'm so sorry (hand to mouth, fake shock)
    Don't call my mommy (hand to ear as a "phone")
    Haiiii-yah! (pretend to karate-chop each other)"

    My school was really white, but I don't think this version was meant to be racist, just weird elementary school humor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Anonymous for sharing that example with demographics.

      Sometimes "just weird elementary school humor" can be racist, regardless of intent. I don;t think this example is racist, but some people might disagree with me about that.

      Best wishes.

      Delete
  6. Early 80's the song was this:
    I went to a Chinese bakery to buy a loaf of bread, bread bread.
    He put it in a 5 pound bag and this was what he said said said:
    My name is
    K I
    Pickle I
    Pickle I K I
    Polly Wolly Biscuits
    Chinese Chopsticks
    Chow!
    This was in Alabama.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for sharing that example of "I Went To The Chinese Bakery" along with when and where it was chanted.

    Unfortunately, a lot of times when this version of this rhyme and other versions were chanted, children also performed some gestures that were insulting to Chinese and to some other Asian people. That may still be happen now when "I Went To The Chinese Bakery" rhymes are chanted.

    Even if the intent is not to insult groups of people or individuals, or hurt people's feelings that can and does happen when people chant these rhymes.

    I'm asking that people be aware of this.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Interesting to see all the variations of this rhyme. This is how it goes in Eastern Canada:

    I went to a Chinese restaurant to buy a loaf of
    Bread bread bread
    He wrapped it up in tinfoil and this is what he
    Said said said
    My name is...
    K I Pickle Eye
    Pickle Eye K I
    Hum hum birdy
    Walla walla whiskey
    Chinese chopsticks
    Do me a favor
    GET LOST (And then we would hit each other in the forehead and push head back)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing your version, Anonymous.

      I hadn't come across the "Hum hum birdy
      Walla walla whiskey" verse before.

      Delete
  9. When I was in Elementary and middle school idk why put our version was soo different from everyone elses and it was so racist but we were kids so.....yea...

    I went to Chinese restaurant to buy a piece of bread bread bread they asked me what my name is and this is what I said said said Ching Chong Charlie push me in the potty oops I'm sorry please don't tell my mommy criss cross applesauce do me a favor and get lost...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello, Unknown.

      Thank for sharing your memory of this rhyme.

      I recognize that many people who chanted rhymes like this didn't realize they were racist. Hopefully, more people nowadays recognize that rhymes that include names such as "Ching Chong" are racist and hurtful. Also, hopefully fewer people are chanting rhymes like this.

      As to the lyrics of the rhyme you remember, it combines lines from "I went to the Chinese restaurant" with lines from rhymes that might be titled "Down Down Baby I Know Karate", "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and other titles. Also, the "cross cross applesauce" line is found in a number of hand clap rhymes.

      Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/12/contemporary-examples-of-shimmy-shimmy_13.html for some examples of similar hand clap rhymes.

      Thanks again for sharing your example.

      Delete
    2. By about 3rd grade many of the kids at my school realized the song was racist ( out school prices itself on being diverse) we realized that the eye slanting was racist and changed to
      Chinese:put your hands out in stop gestures
      Japenese:put your right elbow in your left palm
      Indian chief: flattened your arm then put it up on a square and slide your hands down your arm
      And then we just continued on I know it does not fix everything but at least it is not quoted as racist

      Delete
    3. Thanks, Anonymous Oct 10, 2020 for sharing that memory of "I Went To The Chinese Restaurant" with us.

      I appreciate you and your schoolmates recognition that the motions that usually accompanied (accompany?) this rhyme was (are?) racist. You guys tried.

      However, I believe the listing of "Chinese, Japanese, and Indian chief" can also be considered offensive.

      Think about it, would people think about substituting three White nationalities for the three that are listed in this rhyme? And, if not, why not?

      Best wishes, Anonymous, and stay safe.

      Delete
  10. Hi I’d like to share the version I grew up with, I haven’t seen it on here yet. It’s pretty horrible

    I went to a Chinese restaurant to buy a loaf of bread bread bread
    They put it in a paper sack and this is what they said said said
    My name is
    Ky lie pickalie
    Pickalie ky lie
    Jumbo whiskey
    Walla walla whiskey
    Chinese dancers are so funny
    This is how they count their money
    Oocha oocha turn around and boocha (hip hump)
    Icha icha turn around and bite ya (pretend to chomp)
    Eacha eacha turn around and beat ya (punch)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Unknown, thanks for sharing that example for the folkloric record.

    It is kinda offensive but I've read lots worse.

    ReplyDelete
  12. i remember this song
    The version that i did was:
    I went to a Chinese restaurants
    To but a loaf of bread, bread, bread
    The lady asked me whats my name
    And this is what i said,said,said
    (In this part you spell the name of someone in the group)H-A-I-L-Y
    Chicala, Chicala
    I'm so cutie
    I know karate
    Punch in the belly
    Opps, I'm sorry
    Don't call my mommy, Don't call my daddy
    Chinese *squint eye gesture*
    Japanese *squint eye gesture but lower it a little*
    Indian *Finger goes in the middle of the head symbolizing bindi*
    FREEZE
    I didn't realize it was racist up until i grew up. My school was diverse and we didn't understand the lyrics, we just though it was a normal hand game.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing this example, Anonymous.

      This is the first example that I've heard of that includes references to people from India.

      I realize that lots of people didn't know that these gestures were offensive.

      Now that many more people know, hopefully children will stop chanting these versions of those rhymes.

      Delete
  13. At my elementary school in WA in the 80s it went:
    I went to a Chinese restaurant to buy a loaf of
    Bread bread bread
    She wrapped it up in a won ton bag
    And this is what she
    Said said said:
    My name is P I Piccolo
    Piccolo Peter
    Polly wollly whiskey
    DOG CHOW!

    The Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, look at these was a different rhyme and had eye pulling and then pulling out 2 spots on your shirt to make boobs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marina, thanks for sharing both of those rhymes, along with demographic information.

      Hopefully, the second rhyme isn't chanted any more since the eye pulling gesture is offensive.

      Delete
  14. Wow alot of these versions are extremely racist. Ours wasn't...


    Ours was

    I went to a Chinese restaurant to buy a loaf of bread bread bread they asked me what my name was and this is what I said said said
    My name is ei ei
    Nicolai Nicolai
    Pom pom poodles
    Willy Willy whiskers
    My name is Elvis Presley boys are sexy sitting in the hot tub drinking diet pepsi
    My name is ... FREEZE!
    macaroni and cheese !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Anonymous, for sharing the version of "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant".

      I wish that everyone chanting this rhyme would use the non-racist versions.

      Delete
  15. At my public school in Ontario, Canada, we used to chant this sort of thing -- I think around the year 2008.

    Our version was this:

    I went to a Chinese Restaurant to buy a loaf of bread bread bread
    The waiter asked me what my name is, this is what I said said said
    My name is
    Chugga chugga woo woo
    I know karate
    Punch you in the stomach
    Oops so sorry
    Chinese, Japanese, applesauce
    Do me a favour and get lost

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. P.S. I still can't believe no one bothered to tell us the hand gestures were cruel!

      Delete
    2. Hello, Anonymous.

      Thanks for sharing that version of "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant." Thanks also for remembering to include demographic information.

      Regarding no one telling you that the hand gestures were cruel, perhaps they weren't aware that these gestures were hurtful and offensive. (My position is that they not only hurt Asians but other people who say and do those chants because it reinforces a mindset of privilege and superiority over other populations and insensitivity toward other people).

      I think that society is less racist now than it was in the past. At least. it appears to me that more people are aware of the implications and consequences of microaggressions and other forms systemic and personal racism.

      Delete
  16. I cannot recall the entire chant I learned. This was around 1978, at about age 7-8, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It was a clapping game. Some child taught it to me, and I recall attempting to teach friends; no one else had heard of it though. (I did have a friend down the street who was Chinese... strange as it seems, I might have learned it from her, perhaps?)

    The version I learned seems to combine versions from people who commented that are from Ohio, Alabama and one other place in the U.S., which makes it even more mysterious. I am curious as to whether anyone learned the "I Went to a Chinese Bakery" chant/song BEFORE 1978?

    Here's what I can remember:

    I went to a Chinese bakery
    To buy a loaf of bread bread bread
    He put it in a half-brown bag
    And this is what he said said said

    My name is
    K.I. Humbug
    ??-?? ??-y
    ??-? (?piccalo?)
    Walla walla whiskey
    Chinese chopsticks
    Chow!

    NOTE: I am positive that "half-brown" was supposed to be "half-pound", but as that made no sense to us kids (by the 70s everything was in kgs) we figured the word had to be "brown", lol.) I suspect that wherever this chant orginated it would have been common to get bread in either a 1/2-lb or a half-pound (British £) bag. Since half of a pound of bread is pretty heavy, it's more likely the latter. To me, this suggests the rhyme is really quite old and possibly did not originate on North American soil.

    First verse was standard alternating-hand clapping, with both-hand smacking on "bread -b-b" and "said-s-s".
    For the "My name is..." line, my hands were pressed palms together 🙏 and rotated at the wrists.
    Alternating hand-clapping resumed for the rest, ending with one both-hands smack on the word "chow".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous, thank you for sharing your memories of that version of "I Went To The Chinese Bakery" and thanks for adding demographic information and your thoughts about that version.

      I'm happy you provided information about your 1978 example. I believe that's the earliest date that I've come across so far.
      On a page about this rhyme at https://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=2935 Mama Lisa indicates that "This rhyme was sung a lot in the '70's and it's still sung today." That page then presents this rhyme:
      "I Went to a Chinese Restaurant
      Hand Clapping Rhyme
      I went to a Chinese restaurant to
      Buy a loaf of bread, bread, bread,
      The waiter asked me what my name is
      And this is what I said, said, said,
      My Name is L-I-L-I chicken-li chicken-li,
      Extra cutie, pompom beauty,
      I know karate, punch in the body,
      Oops I'm sorry, don't tell Mommy,
      Chinese, Japanese, Indian chief!"

      However, Mama Lisa doesn't include any demographic information about that particular example. Is it from the 1970s? If so, who collected it and what information was documented about the contributor? If that example isn't from the 1970s, when is it from and where is it from???

      I agree with you that "I Went To The Chinese Restaurant" rhymes probably didn't originate in North America. I think that the title "I Went To The Chinese Bakery" title is older than the Restaurant title and I believe that these rhymes originated in Great Britain.

      The "My name is ...piccalo" portion in the rhyme you remember and similar words in some of the other examples of "I Went To The Chinese Bakery/Restaurant" remind me of the British "High Low Jackalo" hand clap rhymes. The "Jackalo" word has been folk processed to "piccolo", "chickalo" and other similar words in the UK and in Canada. And in the USA, that "High Low Jackalo" rhyme has begun the "Gigalo"/"Jigalo" hand clap rhyme and cheer.

      It's interesting how these compositions change over time and among different populations at the same time.

      Thanks again. Best wishes!

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